Doutsiou fairly represents the pleasure angle. She positions herself in expansiveness—culturally/internationally, socially, and philosophically. Her discussion about sexism and anti-sexism is in the context of anarchist activity in Greece in December 2008—a time of expanding anarchist action, relevance, and awareness—as well as her experience in various European anarchist circles. To make her points she draws on Judith Butler, Françoise Denevert, Guy Debord, Simone de Beauvoir, etc. And her argument is for sexiness, for sensuality, for contrast, and for people celebrating their own particularities.

We choose to free ourselves from normality to become the most extreme of beings. We want to break through identities established by society, by tradition, and even by anarchist spaces. .

She names anti-sexism as a specific kind of reaction to sexism, one that ends up reifying sexism itself, much in the way that Alfonso argues “Why APOC is a White-Supremacist Organization“, or how sociologist Joshua Gamson (who she quotes) posits that queer identity is necessary for queer liberation /and/ perpetuates the binary that predicates queer oppression. And her primary critiques of anti-sexism have to do with the limitations that they rely on:

Language shapes us, composes us, and forms us. Language is based not on words per se but on the use of this word and the meaning of it at a specific time and place. However, the anti-sexist hysteria [ouch!] with language, with both creating new words and not using certain words, only makes those feel guilty who express themselves using words in a colloquial manner. [...] The meaning of a sentence cannot be captured solely by the definitions of the words that constitute the sentence. Those purporting to be anti-sexist only end up as jailors of semantics and detectives of the prohibited colloquial expressions.

As in the quotation above, this article acknowledges the raw components that anti-sexists work from (language, cultural events, etc) but challenges what anti-sexists make from those ingredients.

Doutsiou contrasts the simple support of the spectacle (those people who are content to take on the gender characteristics that are most simple and proscribed — sex kitten for women, macho man for men), with the anti-sexist specatacle that is the knee-jerk reaction to sexism (“women who express their aggression towards men in order to show tha they are not subjugated… men who avoid an honest aggressive dialogue with women because they must behave gently… even anarchist men and women who locate erroneous behaviors and explain them as sexist…”).

During December 2008 anti-sexists were arguing about the sexist behavior of comrades and youth in the streets who were shouting the slogan “Cops, Cunts, you kill children.” This argument opened a discussion in which a female group of participants of the rebellion of December expressed their opinion, through posters and communiqués, that many anarchists are sexists and the “movement” has a problem with sexism. This brought up a conversation among the members of the Greek anarchist space about what is sexism, what can be called anti-sexism and how you can fight effectively against sexism. This conversation was one more fragmented dialogue that happened in the occupied universities and in the streets behind the barricades in the few moments of calmness while we recovered from the teargas burning our eyes and lungs.

When the clashes ended and the various collectives directed their energies into many different actions and projects I found myself still thinking and trying to better understand this sexist/anti-sexist debate that took place, and envision a possible anarchist standpoint. I found myself trying to bring together my experiences from participating in many different anarchist groups in England over seven years, my thoughts about anti-sexist commrades in international meetings against the G8 or EU summit, and in squats and social centers across Europe during tours and travels. Through rumors spread mainly by anti-sexists and nonviolent demonstrators it seems that many people believe that Greek anarchists are macho, sexist, and lacking in their theoretical understanding of sexism.

My goal in this essay is to use these international reflections in addition to my experiences during the social insurrection of December 2008 to offer some thoughts about an anarchist perspective on sexism and anti-sexism. The differences between societies in terms of culture and norms of behavior make the topic a vast one. The different cultures of resistance, scales of confrontation, targets of disobedience, perspectives, terminologies, and political agendas of this world make it impossible to speak in general about sexism and anti-sexism in the global anarchist movement. Many things I say here express the thoughts of male, female, and homosexual comrades here in Greece, while other comrades are in disagreement. I hope these thoughts can open a creative debate. (...)

28.10.10

Void Network invites you to see the new video
of video activist Dimitris Meletis about climate change,
the December 2009 Copenhagen United Nations Summit
for the Climate Change (COP15)
and the resistances expressed there by the people.

Copenhagen 2009 / The voices and the Actions of the people for Climate Change

For many people, climate change is a propaganda of the media, an obsession of some environmental scientists and some green opportunities for large corporations. Unfortunately, there is also another dimension of the problem.

In December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark held the Unted Nations summit COP15. So called outstanding personalities of international politics as the governor Arnold Schwarzenegger were featured with statements like "I'll be back". In contrast, 80% of the NGOs involved in the process, were asked to leave the hall due to limited space.

Along with the closed session of the COP15 summit, during the same days were organized open procedures, such as «Klimaforum», that seemed a good opportunity to meet scientists, activists, artists, NGOs, journalists and active citizens from around the world. The meeting of all these diversity and the dialogue between them offered information and understandings on matters of vital importance. Even if f the result of this meeting can not be yet noticeable, certainly it sent the message to the known-unknowns "responsible" for the destruction of this planet. The "Declaration of the people", the text resulting from Klimaforum arrived in the COP15 conference room and had 2 minutes to be spoken. Some of the organizers, said that 2 minutes is better than none. Is it better?

On December 16, however, the demonstration for Climate Justice was planned to meet the groups of excluded people to make the "People's assembly". The police kept the two groups away from each other and the assembly was finally made by those, that were still able to breathe after being exposed to the police's teargas.

The relevant documentary, includes recognized personalities of the scientific community, such as Naomi Klein, George Monbiot and Ricardo Navarro as also people who arrived in Copenhagen to speak and act, on issues such as:

- How much «green» are the climate politics of economic superpowers ?

- What is the relationship of climate change with refugees?

- What is the contribution of banks in the global climate policy?

- Who is the actual debtor and who is the creditor on the planet?

- What can recommend or achieve 100 people connected to through internet?

- How many people could be detained for a broken glass of a bank and how the European "developed" system deals with the voices that react.

contact-info-participate

voidinternational@gmail.com

VOID MIRROR [theory, info, global movement news]

[click on the photo] VOID MIRROR international digital magazine edited by Void Network >>>> "How to Uphold White Supremacy by Focusing on Diversity and Inclusion. Liberalism’s inherent racism." by KYRA a Chinese-Amerikan trans woman working to create space for radical racial justice >>>> "...Diversity is the practice of mixing together different bodies within a common organization, and is a prime resource to be capitalized upon by businesses and organizations that are white owned and/or operated. Diversity still benefits those in power by taking advantage of the various experiences and vantage points of different racial/gender/sexual backgrounds. Rather than respecting difference and redistributing power based on it, diversity only “celebrates” difference in order to exploit multiculturalism for its economic value. There is a reason that diversity is consistently promoted as being beneficial to everyone, disregarding who benefits most from various arrangements of diversity. As a dominant mode of thought, we must challenge liberalism if we hope to challenge the structures of domination that it both masks and reinforces, through diversity or otherwise..." [http://voidmirror.blogspot.com]

HOW TO ORGANIZE AN OPEN PUBLIC CAMP AND PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY

[click on the image ] Conversation with 'Some of the Participators of the General Assembly of Athens Greece'. This conversation is an attempt to open up the process of the General Assemblies taking place in Athens on Syntagma Square, like an engine, in order to understand how it developed, and how it works. It touches on the problems they have faced, the barriers of having fixed ideological agendas, the question of restricting media access, of formulating respect, creating the form for a new political speech, drawing lots, voting, making resolutions, taking collective actions, establishing different thematic groups, working groups, allowing conflict and arguments, constructing a non-representative political agency, avoiding demands, …. Please listen / share / republish / distribute this interview

Void Network is a cultural, political and philosophical collective that first appeared in 1990 in Athens / Greece with aim the radicalization of every day life, the social question, the arising of critical mind, the ecstatic collective symbiosis, the visibility of diversity, the participation to the emancipatory social struggles of our timesand the creation of Utopian Public Environments by non-employed cultural activists. Other aims are the participation and creation of social centers, self-organized autonomus spaces, the construction of situations in Public Space and the Ephemeral Art.

After 1998 and through the creation of political global festivals and the participation of Void Network to the emancipatory / anarchist / autonomus "Movement Against the Globalization of Capitalism" the Void Network established contacts and creative cells in U.S.A, U.K., Mexico,Brasil, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain

To Get To The Other Side // e-Book

To Get To The Other Side e-book is a journey through Europe and its anarchist movements

WE ARE AN IMAGE FROM THE FUTURE

WE ARE AN IMAGE FROM THE FUTURE The Greek Revolt of December 2008 //////// new book edited by A.G.Schwarz, Tasos Sagris & Void Network Published by A.K.PRESS released early March 2010 [to read long fragments of the book click on the image]

"We Are an Image From The Future" in Germany // Wir sind ein Bild der Zukunft

READ TEXT ONLINE: WE ARE AN IMAGE FROM THE FUTURE [THE GREEK REVOLT OF DECEMBER 2008 ]

[ click on the image] Even though an online reading can never capture the experience of reading a book, even though in this link there are not exisiting the wonderfull photos of the book....we propose you to spend some time reading the text of the book and share the link of the whole text of the book in digital form with your friends and comrades. [ click on the image]

NOSOTROS-FREE SOCIAL SPACE

From 2005 Void Network participates to the wonderfull experiment of the creation, sustaining and expanding of the social center NOSOTROS, a free social space in the center of Athens city / Greece at Themistokleous 66 st. in the world known Exarchia area. Including more than 15 different free lessons per year with more than 300 students, a radio station, fair trade bio-market, daily collective kitchen, cafe, bar, daily events programme, concerts, lectures, d.j. sets, workshops, art exhibitions, free cinema, photography lab, free internet accesss, theatre shows and all kinds of political, social and art activities Nosotros Free Social Space is a 2 floor vibrating building with a huge terrace overlooking square Exarchia. The Open Public General Assembly of Nosotros takes place every week in Monday at 21.00 >>>>> [click on the image for the site of Nosotros]

the eros effect by george katsiafikas

Void Network invites all friends to read the essay "Eros Effesct" by George Katsiafikas [click on the image]

the joy of the revolution by ken knabb

Voidness publications and Void Network proudly announces the beggining of the translation of the book "The Joy of Revolution" by Ken Knabb and the planning of publishing the book in Greek language. You can read the book in English language here [click on the image]

1 Million Users! Now Connected:

OCCUPIED SELF-ORGANIZED LIBERATED PARK IN EXARCHIA AREA ATHENS GREECE

[click on the image] Void Network participates and works together with many other activists, collectives and people from the first days of March 2009 until now for the creation, protection and sustaining of a Liberated Open Public Space, an Occupied Urban Space, a collective vision that comes true, the SELF ORGANIZED OCCUPIED PARK OF EXARCHIA in Athens Greece>>> The Occupied Park Of Exarchia is in the centre of Athens city / near metro station Panepistimio on Harilaou Trikoupi rd. / THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PARK TAKES PLACE EVERY WEDNESDAY IN about 19.30 >>>YOU ARE ALL WELCOME to participate in the creation of the park with your ideas, your dreams, your efforts

VOID NETWORK MANIFESTO

[click on the photo] This is the Void Network Manifesto in English language. It tries to offer some clear views about the cultural activism and the philosophy of political and social actions of the international affinity group Void Network

"YOU TALK ABOUT MATERIAL DAMAGES WE SPEAK ABOUT HUMAN LIFES'

[click on the image] "YOU TALK ABOUT MATERIAL DAMAGES WE SPEAK ABOUT HUMAN LIFES' (Perceptions of Violence Among Greek Anarchist Groups) is a lecture by Anthropology Lab of Void Network prepared as a participation for the ''Youth Violence and Identities Conference'' in 14-15 May 2009 in University of Kent . [to read the lecture in English language / click on the image]

VOID OPTICAL ART LABORATORY

click on the image to navigate in Void Network channel at YouTube including events documentation and VOID ART >> Created in the early days of '90s VOID OPTICAL ART LABORATORY is a creative meeting point, an open laboratory of visual artists, art thinkers and cultural activists. Through constant sharing of resources, machines, archives, images, ideas and visions the Void Network artists create cross-platform collaborations and multi screens shows, especialy created for the events of the collective, using improvisational shows on many different screens and synchronized projections producing moments where the visual arts melts into the sound, the light shows and the ectstatic energy of the enthousiastic crowd. This is not an Art-Show...This is our Life!

VOID OPTICAL ART LABORATORY

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GLOBAL EYE [LONDON section of VOID NETWORK]

[click on the image] This is the "myspace" page of GLOBAL EYE, theEnglish section of Void Network>>> GLOBAL EYE is a group of multi media cultural activists and space travellers as also a huge database of images, video art, ideas, visions and practices offered to anyone on this planet through meetings, free shows, exhibitions, open sharing, collective life and tribal ecstatic experience>>>http://www.myspace.com/globaleye [ for more info click on the image]

BRASIL section of VOID NETWORK / RIO DE JANEIRO

[click on the photo] This is the blog of Brasilian section of Void Network written in Portugese language. As main goals of Brasil Void Network cell are to bring in contact the Brasilian society with the ideas and actions of Void Network in all the world, establish contacts, collaborations and links with activists and artists from Latin America, work as an observatory for Amazon Rain Forest and express in all ways solidarity for the poor populations of South America>>> http://voidbrasil.blogspot.com [click on the image]

CULTURES OF RESISTANCE

[click on the image ] Worldwide, people from all walks of life are finding creative ways to oppose war and promote peace, justice, and sustainability. Culture—including film, music, and food—is fertile terrain for this struggle. Education that nourishes a critical mind and fortifies the soul is just as essential. Cultures of Resistance (http://www.culturesofresistance.org/) is the name of both a feature documentary and an activist network. [click on the image]

MAGAZIN NETWORK

The Magazine Network is a is part of a very informal, loose and more or less working association of individuals, condemning capitalism in all its forms and expressions, but currently too nihilistic, lazy, damaged or uninspired to proceed to a formal coalition while mistrusting all existing political structures (including its own). Still under construction!". To see the video actions of Magazin click on the photo

glass bead collective // laboratory for multi media cultural activism

Glassbead Collective (GBC), based in New York City, brings together individuals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds including video art, film, theater, architecture, photography, music, mathematics, fine arts and philosophy to create works which re-contextualize culture and the world in which we find ourselves today. GBC was founded in 2002. They have since produced various live art events and films experimenting with a multi-disciplinary approach to contemporary issues (mixing visual and literary narratives in real time) as well as created live visuals performances for events and autonomus public zones

VAT_OM OPTICAL LAB Void Art Laboratory

[click on the image] VAT_OM Void Art Laboratory (a.k.a. Glarax) is a v.j., cultural activist, multi media artist and official member of VOID OPTICAL ART LABORATORY. He is one of the most influential visual artists of the Void Network galaxy, focus mainly in space art, ecological and political themes as also in spiritual and meditative psychedelic art

ECSTATIC POETRY Void Network blog by SISSY DOUTSIOU

freeart zone

FREEART ZONE This blog is a zone of collective share for artists, friends and rebels. It is a free space for sharing new infos, confused thoughts, estethic images of life,conceived critisism and art for free and free.Or just to be able to reach everybody beyond at times of desert.

VOID NETWORK RADIO INTERVIEW

[click on the image] This is a 45 minutes digital radio inteview given by two members of Void Network (in ENGLISH language) during the Total Freedom tour in Mexico in November 2008, to RADIO DIGNA, an autonomous digital radio station of Mexican Resistance Movement from Baja California, Mexico. In this interview Void Network talks about Autonomia in Europe, about the anarchist movement and the the Antifascist struggle in Greece, about our experience of travelling in Zapatista Autonomous areas in Chiapas and the idas, the visions and the dreams are hidden inside the cultural work of our collective [click on the image]

VOID MIRROR

[click on the image] >>>>Navigate in VOID MIRROR, the international news and global radical theory Void Network blog...ALL MAILS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, COMMUNIQUES, MUSIC, VIDEO ART and THEORY ESSAYS ARE MOST WELCOME...USE THE EMAIL OF VOID NETWORK: voidinternational@gmail.com COME IN CONTACT with http://voidmirror.blogspot.com

THE END OF THE WORLD OF THE SPECTACLE

if we don't want to participate in the spectacle of the end of the world we will have to work towards the end of the world of the spectacle...The spectacle is where all the relations, the needs, the dreams, the wishes are turned into profitable commodity, into an obligation, into a blackmail....There life turns into a spectacle of real life and the world turns into an endless desert

D.J. CRYSTAL ZERO

[click on the image]>>>>>>> D.J. CRYSTAL ZERO from Void Network started organize underground rave parties in 1993 and he is one of the pioneer d.j.s in space ambient and psychedelic trance global scene. This is his myspace page

D.J. NIKITAS

[click on the image] >>>>>>>>>>>D.J. NIKITAS started his d.j.s performances in the Void Network psychedelic trance rave festivals in the end of 90s in the age of 17 years old. From that days he evolved in one of the best d.j.s in Greece blending explosive psychedelic progressive sounds with the spirituality of a sound alchemist. This is his myspace page

D.J. SISSY STARDUST

[click on the image] When D.J. SISSY STARDUST came in Athens in 2005 after 7 years in England studying Astrophysics (and psychedelics) the psychedelic ambient scene was small and non-popular. Some years after with the great help of this important, creative and enthousiastic artist the psy-ambient scene is becoming stronger and stronger, and SISSY STARDUST becomes one of the most important d.j.s of atmospheric thoughtfull electronica and intelligent space music in the underground scene of Athens

D.J. HIGHPNO

D.J. HIGHPNO is one of the finest new psychedelic trance and psy full-on d.j.s in the Void Network galaxy

D.J. IRAKLIS MINDPHASER

[click on the image] D.J. IRAKLIS MINDPHASER is one of the most creative organizers and d.j.s in european psychedelic trance scene. With the NATURAL HIGH collective as also with his participation in the events of Void Network he helps the Greek psy-trance scene to be one of the strongest underground scenes in the world

NATURAL HIGH family

[click on the image] The open collaboration and mutual help between Void Network and NATURAL HIGH familiy after 2000 manifested some amazing massive raves (like Electric Universe & Man With No Name free concerts with more than 7000 people and many more) as also helped to appear some wonderfull spiritual friendship among the cultural activists of the two collectives

FUNXION DRUM 'N BASS CREW

[click on the image] From 2001 until today FUNXION Drum 'n Bass crew share some wonderfull spiritual friendship with Void Network cultural activists. We created many great events together until now, featuring travelling in Europe for festivals and concerts. The link is the myspace page of the collective.